Been too long.

Collaborating, networking, sharing, writing, commenting. Just how much can we do at one time? Is their one vehicle that's better than another? Should we use one stop shopping like Ning where we can blog, have discussion forums, join groups and post videos and pictures rather than a variety of tools that do each of those things in isolation?

These are some of the questions that I struggle with lately. There are so many tools out there, is any one better than the other? I've often written about keeping up. How do you keep you blogs updated, maintain a social network that have meaning and purpose, twitter about ever move you make (including those that twitter about what they're having for breakfast)? Add mobile phones, texting and e-mail and you can pretty much consume a day.

I wish there was an easy answer. What it all comes down to is purpose and audience. You may want to put information out on the web for comment or just interesting reading but would not want the same audience in your social network. You may want to start a social network for a class or a group of professionals that has a limited and selective audience. You may want a platform where multiple people can add and edit information (such as in a wiki).

You need to decide for yourself and make decisions with consideration to the following:
--First and foremost, do you have something to contribute (young or old, I do believe we ALL have something to communicate and share).
-Are you able to make a time commitment to be current and relevant?
-Do you want to put out information for readers to learn information, perhaps commenting occasionally but not interfere with your posts?
-Do you want to develop a network where all information can be shared, edited, and include resources to meet the needs of a particular group?
-Do you wnat the ability to chat in real-time as you create your work?

These are just a few of the questions I grapple with and think everyone that is involved in Web 2.0 should consider. What do you think?
.....Yes, this is the audience participation of our show!!

How we started and where we are........

It has been quite some time since Iroquois embarked upon truly using technology and the power of the Web. Over the course of time, I have come in contact with many professionals in the field that often ask, "How did you start?" This usually results in a lengthy conversation. Recently, I was asked to write a post for NECC 2009. I decided to write about our experience at Iroquois and cross-post here.

Several years ago, a team from our high school attended High Schools New Face Conference in Western New York. Will Richardson lit a spark in several of us teaching us a plethora of tools- blogs, wikis, podcasting, RSS feeds, etc... The notion of 'connecting with students' was at the forefront. Students today are 'connected' electronically more often than not, have access to information quicker than many of us could ever have imagined and share an enormous amount of information via social networks. We knew we wanted to harness the power of the internet and do so in hopes that students will begin to gather, learn and share information in a way different than the traditional 'sit-n-get' format found in many high school classes.

Our district had already begun to use some on-line learning and remedial programs for pre and post teaching which provided teachers (and the students) immediate feedback and monitoring of progress. Adults were well aware of the frequency of which students were on cell phones, iPods and connecting daily on MySpace and Facebook. Could they not be taught to use these same concepts for learning? Would they enjoy learning more and as a result, would they improve their achievement? Lets take one step further. Would teachers not become reignited about teaching and learning? Could teachers begin to collaborate on an entirely different level? Would students become more engaged? Obviously, a team of us believed the answer to all these questions and more to be 'Yes'! And so, we began our journey.

We started with a few extremely motivated teachers. Blogging was the start. Posting assignments, homework (being absent was not longer an excuse to not having homework done!) and even lecture notes. A student would volunteer to be 'scribe' for the day and post the day's lecture/class notes. Students will use a blog to have discussions and collaborate on projects. Students (and teachers) would embed videos, presentations, and resources in their blogs. This is about the time that some students began to experiment with podcasting.

The next step was for students and teachers to begin to collaborate: sharing information, building off of each other's contributions and creating a place to store resources. The Wiki became the platform. Use of the wiki expanded blogging to include a site for many courses in the high school. Syllabi, homework, project assignments and handouts can all be found on a virtual platform for students (and parents to monitor as well). Students would also post completed assignments and create team projects with the help of classmates. Teachers learn relatively fast, but students were learning faster. I knew that if teachers were going to use these tools, they would quickly need support. With the support of our Board of Education, I appointed a teacher on special assignment (Pat Aroune)to actually train and work with teachers directly in the classroom, assisting them with lesson development. An Action Planning Committee in our high school consisted of a group of teachers volunteering to meet early morning, before school to share their craft and changes in their teaching. The spark had been lit, the flame began to grow.

Throughout this process, I believed as a leader that I needed to be a role model. I began to use web 2.0 tools in my everyday work. I blogged about the changes in our high school, I blogged for our community, highlighting various achievements in our school districts as well as an upcoming capital project vote. I even attempted a blog for students to have yet one more vehicle to communicate with their Superintendent. I would embed resources, presentations and podcasts. The intent of my message was these tools are effective, can be time savers and a way to quickly and easily spread and share your work and ideas.

Resources, the 'storage' of resources, along with accessibility ( 'anywhere' and 'anytime' ) was needed and introduced. Tools such as googledocs, social bookmarking (del.icio.us) and various virtual platforms were taught and used by both students and teachers. This became a quick lesson: not everyone had to 'reinvent the wheel'. Friends could help each other. Find a resource that not only you need, but know of a friend that may be interested, store it and share it! As more teachers expressed interest in integrating technology within the classroom, accessibility to computers needed to be addressed. Instead of replacing stand alone computers, we began to purchase laptops on mobile carts. Teacher carts were also set up with a laptop, projector and audio amplification. Entire classes of students can be on-line at the same time and made dependence upon scheduling classes in computer labs a frustration of the past.

At the same time, our district had embarked upon a long-term relationship with Silver and Strong Associates providing professional development in "Thoughtful Education" pedagogy. As teacher developed units and lessons with more depth and differentiating for the different learning styles of students in a class, it became logical for us to have a platform for teachers to share their ideas, lessons and units. We introduced the social network Ning to our teachers. There they could combine all the learning of the past and integrate the various tools in one place: blogging, interactive collaboration, storing of resources, posting of presentations, etc... It is our hope that as time goes on, our entire faculty will engage in collaboration on a virtual platform in addition to face-to-face learning teams. At the same time, we know that good leaders need to be involved in side-by-side learning with teachers and to model the traits and behaviors expected of teachers. Our administrative team has also begun to use Ning for administrative collaboration as well as to interact with our teachers as they post to the social network.

As a school superintendent, the development of a true learning community across a K-12 district with 6 buildings has been exciting to observe. While at first, integration of technology seemed to be "extra" work, teachers and students now see that it becomes 'part' of the work. We are far from full implementation. Empirical evidence related to improved student achievement is difficult to isolate. What we do have is anecdotal information from both students and teachers that they are more engaged and interested. The assumption is made that if students are interested and engaged, they are more likely to achieve at high levels.


Before ending I would like to share a few examples of what I have seen both as a parent in the district and as the superintendent:

Podcast projects:
One elementary class had students write their parents a Valentine's Day Poem. Instead of just sending the poem home in written form, each student read their poem in podcast. The link for the podcast was sent to each parent. What a wonderful surprise parents had to 'hear' their Valentine's Day poem in their own child's voice!
For a European History project, a student created a radio show to have taken place during World War II demonstrating their understanding of the events of the decade. The radio show episodes were recorded in a podcast.

Social Bookmarking:
Students and teachers are sharing articles, videos, new articles and a variety of other resources using their del.icio.us account. Along with many teachers, I have a network of people I follow that I can view and find resources for projects we have in common.

Read/Write Web:
A plethora of information is available by reading blogs. I read blogs by students as young as third grade posting information about what they have learned studying the Titanic. I have followed a student blogging about his favorite sport (hockey) and another student blogging about family vacations. I have probably learned more from reading blogs these past three years as I have from any other source.
I can monitor many high school courses detailing what the content is, what assignments are due and view projects posted related to the course by students.

Social Networking:
As stated above, teachers are posting a variety of lessons and units in every subject across all grade levels. Our administrators are beginning to use Ning to post resources for each other, ask questions and get feedback from their colleagues as well as posting activities and questions for our book studies. This continues to be a work in progress.
The most important thing we have realized is that one thing we can be sure of is how fast technology changes. We planned early on that we needed to teach skills vs. the products available. While Blogger, PBwiki, Ning and Skype may all be popular, everyday there are new vendors improving sophistication and ease of use. Both our students and teachers are trained in skills (posting/commenting to the Read/Write web, collaboration, social bookmarking and networking). The platforms available will surely change. It is our belief that in order for students to be successful in the 21st Century, they will need to be proficient in many of these skills.

Tips for Twitter

Angela Maiers just posted 26 tips for using Twitter. Excellent ideas for those that wonder how to use Twitter and how it can be effective.

How a network in action works.........

Many have a hard time keeping up and finding the purpose of Twitter. Chris Brogan posted on his blog, 27 ideas to improve your blogging. Great post and addresses some of the questions I posed in my post yesterday. Thanks Chris!!

How to keep up?

I have unfortunately had to have some surgery that has put me in the position of having too much time on my hands. With that comes plenty of time to think about 'stuff'. Having the personality that I do, while I can ponder my next vacation, reminisce about events of the past year, and even count my blessings, it doesn't take long before my thoughts come back around to my work. It is a huge part of my life and dedicate an enormous amount of time to work and work-related activities.

When I think about my role as a leader and educator, I am constantly asking myself, how can we do it better? How do we engage students more in their learning? How do I share what we are doing as a school community and gather ideas from others trying to do the same? While there is always research to read as well as a plethora of subscriptions related to education, there is so much more information readily available through blogs and wikis. These media also give the opportunity to ask questions, comment and expand ideas with an immediacy that you cannot achieve reading printed material. So now I spend as much time, probably more reading blogs and wikis and participating in social networks.

I use an aggregator to organize the blogs, wikis and social networks I want to monitor and have a few I automatically go to. There are several I contribute to. I've have often said and written that my learning has grown exponentially and I have gather great ideas to "borrow". While I have never been one to sleep for the suggested 8 hours per night, I do most of my reading and writing in the wee hours of the morn'. The challenge is in keeping up. Do I post? Do I read? Do I contribute? The obvious answer for me is that I want to do it all. I feel that as a leader, I need to be a role model. As our teachers learn to participte in Web 2.0 technology and most recently particpate and share information in a social network, I feel that I should contribute in some way on a regular basis. When that happens, I believe that teachers will see that it is valued and can be a successful and efficient way to share and gather information. I have principals that are now posting agendas for faculty meetings along with minutes to Ning. Social networking is something our students do on a regular basis be it MySpace or Facebook. There are incredible learning opportunities using social networks and we now have several teachers integrating them in their courses. Students blog and read blogs. They have heard and read that our soon to be president, used blogging as part of a comprehensive and awesome campaign. Technology is the way of the world and we can't escape it. We do an injustice if we don't recognize this and at least expose our students to these tools.

With our economic challenges we seek to find less expensive materials to use in school as budgets get tighter. Free is always nice! There are incredible learning tools available on the web at no or little cost to schools. While I don't support sitting a child in front of a computer all day, it does have its place in learning and students are excited and motivated to engage in on-line learning. Not only can students engage in exploration or practice, many tools on the web can track a student's performance so a teacher can monitor if in fact, learning is taking place. I feel that I have some role in investigating and sharing these tools with our teachers.

Then, there is my professional growth and personal commitment to sharing what I have learned with others. I have two blogs that I author and one that I am supposed to contribute to on a regular basis. Which leads to the question, "How DO I KEEP UP?". I wish there was one platform that would serve all my needs. Actually, there is......a wiki. The difficulty is that not everyone is ready to navigate a wiki. Giving people a URL to locate a blog or social network seems to be what the mainstream is capable of. Heck, for many, they continue to 'lurk' and have not taken the leap to comment or contribute to a discussion or forum. In time, it will come. For now, I need to find a way to juggle.

For the answer, I need to hear from my readers. There are so many people that I envy such a Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Will Richardson and Chris Lehman. I also realize that these folks present and blog professionally. I on the other hand, run a school district with a $39 million budget and all the responsibilities that go along with it. To be successful on the web, I know you need to speak to an audience, have something worthwhile to read and need to post regularly. Thus the question that would help me tremendously. What is it that folks would like to read about, learn about and/or engage in dialogue about? Obviously, I see exciting things happen in our schools and classrooms on a regular basis. When I do, I share those experiences and will continue to do so. But is there more? Sometimes you need to take a step back and get feedback. This is that time. If you have been following and continue to be interested in exchanging ideas about how we can make our schools more engaging for students and better prepare students for their future, please let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Technology Benchmarks and Teaching Web 2.0 Tools

For some time now we have been discussing the best approach to teach students about Web 2.0 tools and internet safety.

While most students experience the internet as young as kindergarten, we protect them from certain sites as a means of keeping them "safe". As students begin to explore the internet for the purpose of searching for information, it becomes increasingly difficult to protect them from unsavory web sites or content that may be inappropriate given their age. Young students (and even some adults) tend to believe if something is found on the internet, it must be reliable. Students need to be taught that this is not always the case and that they must learn how to determine if their source provides reliable information. Sorry, no wikipedia bashing here but it is a perfect example of a site often used by students. There is a great deal of legitimate information on wikipedia but that is not always the case. With respect to safety, we want students to learn as early as possible that there are predators on the web and keeping personal information private is the safest course for them.

We have had great success in exposing students to Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, social networking and podcasting. There are many educational applications for these tools. Thus far, many teachers are exposing students to these tools while teaching their content. While integrating technology and the tools available on the web is our goal, we have heard from many students they wish they could be exposed to the technology separate from their course content. Each summer we have many teachers doing curriculum development alignment and revisions. This summer a group of talented teachers have come together to identify technology benchmarks for our students at each grade level. In addition to keyboarding, beginning this year students will be exposed to various tools on the web. Obtaining information, social networking, collaboration and internet safety will be a focus both in classrooms and computer classes. It is our hope that by doing so students will have a myriad of tools that will help deepen their knowledge in the content areas as they progress through middle and high school.

It has now been legislated that students are given direct instruction in internet safety. Since we began our technology initiative we have always discussed internet safety but it has not been as prescribed as it could be. In addition to teaching students about predators and safety precautions, they also need to be taught about intellectual property (ownership of information written on the web), copyright infringement as well as how to protect their work posted on the web. By next week, a curriculum guide will be developed for teachers to use at the various grade levels. This is happening as I type this post. I am anxious to see the product our talented teachers develop. Once completed, I will post more specifics. Digital literacy is a 21st Century skill we know our students must acquire. This will be the foundation upon which those skills can learned.

High School's New Face 2008

High School's New Face was again an incredible experience for participants. National presenters such as Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Giselle Martin-Kneip, Dennis Sparks, Tony Wagner and Ken Kay just to mention those most known to educators and our teachers. The conference once again inspired us to continue to bring our high school, our instruction and our students into the 21st Century.

We know that engaging students in meaningful learning is the key to improving student achievement. We also know that students will do better in school if they feel that they have a connection with their teachers. Students need to feel that the adults around them genuinely care about them. We want to find what students are interested in and make a connection to the content/subject being taught. Our Thoughtful Classroom initiative is helping us to personalize learning much more than in the past. Lessons are being designed that meet the needs of individual learning styles of students and teachers are thoughtful about designing lessons and activities that have something for each type of learner in the class. We want to find more ways to make that personal connection with students. Conversations we will be engaged in during the coming school year.

Our students are constantly engaged with media, technology, text messaging and socializing. Images flash in front of them on computer screens and information is a click away. "Sit and Get" type lectures will no longer capture the heart and minds of students. Lessons need to be creative, hands-on and engaging. More and more students are reporting that our teachers are doing 'something' different. Students are engaged. At the same time, students are being asked to change, and take more responsibility for their own learning. They are being asked to collaborate with each other, create projects instead of writing essays and make presentations as part of their learning to become proficient at public speaking and communicating their ideas and knowledge. I highlight these changes with some sense of pride that at Iroquois, we are on the right track.

A focus of High School's New Face was the need to teach 21st Century Skills. I have written about these skills before in a post about a report Tough Choices, Tough Times. They include skills in collaboration and teamwork, creativity and innovation, and communications skills including reading, writing and speaking. These are a few of the skills our business community tells us that workers in the 21st Century must be proficient in. Added to the list include critical thinking and problem-solving. These are skills employers need their workforce to possess. The skills related to the "product" a business is involved in is something the businesses/companies can teach. As we move forward, we need to emphasize these 21st Century Skills with our students. I believe that many of these skills are being taught as a result of our Thoughtful Education focus. We may not however, identify these skills for students. We need to talk about them and incorporate them into outcomes for students.

Proficiency in Information and Computer Technology is another area we have been integrating with instruction. We are quickly approaching the point where access to technology will no longer be the issue. Many students come to school well versed in the Internet and how to access information. But, are they able to determine if the information they find is from a credible source? Are they able to gather information and share it in a concise and efficient manner? Can they take the information they find and put it into their own words? We also know that the Internet can be a place where predators lurk, information posted can never be retrieved and just as written work is protected by copyright, so is information posted on the web. Students need to be educated to make the best use of the power of the world wide web. We are discussing how we can provide this learning to students. A group of teachers will be meeting in the next few weeks to discuss technology standards and benchmarks, Internet safety and how best we can teach this essential information to our students.

This is an exciting time in education. While accountability is at an all-time high, the environment (and our economy) is demanding that we do things differently than what has been done in previous decades. In a future post, I will discuss the need for 21st Century Skills and the imperative coming from our business community.

We took a great team to this year's conference. I would like to thank Ross Esslinger, Anne Obersheimer, Sean Lauber and Catherine Stojanovich for taking time out during summer to join in the learning and inspiration tha High School's New Face provides to our region.

Has there really been a change in the quality of education this year?

I will maintain that the answer to this question is yes! There is a different feel to the high school this year. Teachers are again excited about their craft. They're sharing their expertise in true learning communities. Students notice a change in the manner in which teachers present information and solicit their feedback.
These are just a few of the changes attributed to two major initiatives: Thoughtful Education and our Technology Integration initiative.
Thoughful education has provided teachers with a host of strategies to differentiate instruction and learning. The information is presented and shared in learning teams and further shared on a virtual platform. Teachers use technology not only as a tool to enhance learning but as a tool for sharing information and professional growth. Collaboration is always something we encourage amongst our teachers. Now, collaboration can be anyplace, anytime. If that collaboration can't be fact-to-face, it can happen on-line within a virtual platform.
There are two platforms that are beginning to develop. A wiki to share the community of practice and use of a social networking platform on Ning
Pat Aroune has been instrumental in helping us integrate our thoughtful education initiative and technology. I believe we are truly treading on uncharted territory and the journey has been very exciting. Thank you Pat and thank you teachers for embarking on our journey.

Social Networking

As time goes on, I continue to be introduced to tools the expand my learning and demonstrate to me the limitless possibilities for student use and learning. Social networks on the web are not unfamiliar to most. Nearly everyone has at least heard of 2 that our children are using daily in spite of the negative media we're exposed to: MySpace and Facebook. While unpopular with many parents, I have written before about the positive aspects of social networking. Some of the skills young adults demonstrate and learn using these social networks include creativity, global exposure, literacy (read/write), making connections with people and developing communication skills along with other secondary skills often viewed as a double-edge sword such as multi-tasking.
Iroquois is participating in a project called the Western New York Powerful Learning Practices. I have not provided a link as for now, this is a "closed" social network. Four teachers and another administrator have joined me in learning the myriad of tools available on the web. Web 2.0 as topic is familiar to those that have followed this blog or any of the other talented educators linked to this blog. We have experimented and then began using blogs, wikis and podcasting. Podcasting is just beginning to be used with instruction now that we have learned the in's and out's. Now we are looking at the potential social networks offer.
One such network is call Ning. Ning was developed in 2004 by two individuals that wanted to develop a platform where people could develop their own social network. Artists to musicians, athletes, bloggers, video channels, journalists, students, educators, parents, craft hobbyists, alumni, and interest groups are a sampling of the range and diversity of the social networks developed on ning. It becomes one-stop shopping for all your web 2.0 tools. You can post picture, video and music. Within your own social network you can host a blog or engage in a variety of discussion in a forum. On ning, it's possible to link to other social networks or expand your own network by having members of your network develop their own pages. The amount of information to be store and exchanged on ning can be more than overwhelming. For just that reason, the group of us involved in the WNYPLP needed to take a step back and developed our own social network called Virtually Iroquois. We thought if we began with a "blank canvas", we could explore the many features available and slowly build our community. It has only been a day, and members that felt completely intimidated my the WNYPLP have quickly joined and contributed to our network.
So, how can this be applied and used educationally you may ask? Imagine a class designing an on-line platform that each of them have membership to. The main page provides the shell for the topic or class the student is enrolled in. Each student then develops their own page (like their own web site). Students conduct research, share information, engage in discussions and post resources. Resources could be video clips, music, personal artwork or pictures as well as more traditional resources such a links to articles, newspapers or blogs. As if there isn't enough on the platform, you even have an e-mail account so people within your network as well as the entire Ning community can e-mail you. There are features similar to the notorious MySpace and FaceBook. You invite members to your network and thus the ability to acquire many 'friends'. Each person has a picture (avatar or actual digital picture) that is shown. If others in your network are on-line, an icon indicates so. If you desire immediate contact you can then communicate with that person either through e-mail or other IM or Skype accounts outside the Ning community. All you need is a valid e-mail address. I highly suggest you check out the network. No matter what your interest, you will find a network for you to join or you can begin one yourself.
Another on-linr tool to network with people is Twitter. Twitter is similar to instant message but everyone and anyone that has a twitter account and is on-line can communicate with each other. For our more "mature" audiences, I liken it to the original aol chat rooms. Many of the same rules apply but the conversations are much richer and generally related to 21st century learning. You can communicate with a particular person by beginning your text message with @(person's name) or just type to the entire community. You can join a conversation or begin a new one. The 'conversations' are in real time and worldwide. Those of us using Twitter see many uses. It can be your idea of "fun" by just texting to interesting people around the country or the world. Will Richardson posted a blog about the use of Twitter for professional development. Imagine you are a teacher and you're interested in finding a great podcast about the civil war. Twitter it and you may just find a social studies teacher that twitters back with your request. You could also engage in a discussion by asking how a high school teacher is using a wiki in one of their courses. The possibilities are endless. Give it a try. Again, all you need is that e-mail address.

How many people do students write for in their K-12 experience?

| continue to encourage ways for teachers to have students integrated technology with their learning. Came across a blog "Plethora of Technology" and read of a middle school teacher that was encouraging writing on the web. He makes a great point. Check out his video below.

Virtual Learning Communities...What are they?

This is cross posted at http://21centurylearning.typepad.com

At Iroquois we have taken the professional learning community and taken it to a new level....the virtual level.

Virtual Learning Communities (VLC's) are platforms for social networking that are generally focused on a particular topic. People invite people to their network and they join with a particular focus in mind. They are used to post discussions, resources, links on the internet and engage the participants.

I think that the conversations we have on the VLC are richer because they can include people outside our geographical region. Often times, especially in education, things become "regionalized". Now we can gain a global perspective with fresh ideas. At the least, our approach/thoughts can be validated.

Through these communications, information is shared, research to support a particular theory or approach is offered, or examples of where an initiative has been successfully implemented.

Within a group of professionals, a virtual community seems to give people the confidence and platform to express their ideas that they may not feel comfortable sharing in a public forum. This isn't to say people are hiding behind their computer screens. Some people just don't like speaking in front of groups. We've all met a few of these people. They have a lot to offer and quietly take risks in the classroom, but don't 'brag' about their accomplishments and successes.

Change happens when there are enough people committed to a particular topic of interest. There has to be an environment that is open to that change. Once a platform (environment) is created that is safe and supported, change is more likely to happen. Whether it's a new way to teach required facts that makes learning fun, or a new lesson with integrated technology that captivates students that in the past would remain uninterested.

In order for change to happen, the 'conversations' must take place. As we meet face to face, the ideas and actions suggested in the virtual learning community can be described, listed, and debated without people having to identify who brought the idea to the table. Schools are a perfect example of this. There are the talkers and the sponges. Those that are vocal about their ideas and more than comfortable trying to convince everyone their way is the right way. On the other hand, there are "the sponges". Those individuals that sit in the room, filter the information and go back to their classrooms making significant changes to their instruction that result in improved student learning. That is just one example of how the talking turns into action.

In answer to the question of how do we use our venue for social change? We read, we write, we exchange, we learn. As leaders, the more we are exposed to reliable and useful information, the better prepared we are to 'wrestle' the issues at the table.

That is how we are using the virtual learning community at Iroquois. It is also used as a resource for teachers so that they do not have to 'reinvent the wheel' when it comes to their instruction. Whether it involves theory, videos, power point presentations or class activities, teachers have a place they can go to make their delivery of instruction the best it can be.

Better teaching/instruction translates to improved student achievement.

Thoughtful Education and a Virtual Learning Community

As I look at the date, I can't believe how much time has gone by since my last post. Then I think about how much has been happening in the past month and it's not really any surprise. Our district has been completely immersed in Thoughtful Education practices. Our teachers continue to learns tools that will captivate students, engage them more actively in their learning and stretch their critical thinking skills. Naturally, I'm excited about the changes happening K-12 in how students are learning. What is most rewarding is to see our teachers come together as a professional learning community.
Professional Learning Communities is not new to our district. There have been continuous opportunities for teachers to collaborate. They have discussed action-research, shared data regarding student performance and engaged in book talks. With Thoughtful Education, teachers are coming to during district allocated time and on their own. There is an exchange of ideas, pedagogy and successes. It is not often that a leader has the opportunity to see so many teachers excited about the work they are doing. With the help of our Instructional Technology Specialist, a virtual platform has been developed. It is a place our teachers can post lesson, strategies and resources. I like to think of it as one-stop shopping for our teachers. There are many great minds in the district. One goal is to bring these great minds together. No longer do teachers have to "reinvent the wheel". Teachers now share a common language and their craft. Each day I receive several e-mails notifying me that teachers have posted new information on our wiki. What I see is no less than impressive.
At our most recent curriculum council meeting I asked our members what makes this initiative so different than other initiatives. There responses left me with the feeling that we are truly on the right path. Students are noticing that teachers are taking risks and trying new approaches. They are demonstrating new learning and high level thinking skills. Our teachers feel a renewed sense of collegiality and engage in rich conversations about teaching and learning. Our teachers are to be commended. They are embracing an initiative that is time consuming, stretches their learning, and requires hard work in addition to the planning and teaching that happens day in and day out in their classrooms.

On-Line Professional Learning Communities

This week I had the pleasure of attending a training facilitated by the incredibly talented Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Will Richardson: Western New York Powerful Learning Practices. In the context of Web 2.0 technology, at Iroquois Central School, we are advocating for the use of technology as an instructional tool that has the power to prepare students for the 21st Century. One way we are doing this is the development of an on-line platform to develop a professional learning community across our district. The purpose of this learning community is to share best practices in our schools and how we educate 21st Century Learners. This platform has no boundaries i.e., grade level, subject matter. The vehicle is a Wiki. There are resources related to our district’s initiatives for the year, lessons that teachers can develop, expand upon and share.

As we know in any business (education not to be excluded as a ‘business’) relationships are the key to success. Through these on-line learning communities, relationships are developed. People begin to identify credible individuals that provide trusted information. These on-line platforms have the ability to ask a person questions and make comments about their work or contributions. As practitioners, we will model exactly the skills we want students to be learning: Collaboration, Literacy, and becoming Global Learners with no boundaries. Your location is no longer a barrier. Whether across town, in another state or another part of the world, there are talented individuals that have a lot to offer educators.

We share bookmarks on line with tools such as del.icio.us. The link will take you to my account. The bookmarks you find are articles and resources on a variety of topics that interest me and that I have used in my learning related transforming how we prepare students for the 21st Century. In my account, I have followers and people that I follow. We each have access to each other’s bookmarks. My learning and resources is then expanded exponentially. In the busy life of a superintendent, time is precious. I would love to spend hours researching a topic. But why should I? I can connect with these people and see if they have bookmarked resources that have topics similar to what I am looking for. If this isn’t collaboration, I don’t know what is. Dare I share for the “digital novice” that MySpace is nothing more than a social bookmarking tool?

I blog. I began blogging the minute I learned who to. Blogs are communication tools. I can instantaneously post current information. Then people read my blog. Some leave comments, others just read it. I never imagined the power blogging until I added clustrmaps, a program that tracks where in the world people are reading my blog. It also tracks how many people are reading my blog. The incredible power of this is not only the shocking reality that there are people all over the world interested in reading what I have to say but that everyone of these people are potential people for me to learn from. And I have. When it comes to literacy, I have read more in the past 18 months than I have read in the previous 3 years. I read a lot. My job demands it. I read research, professional journals and magazines, newspapers. I know add blogs to my reading. Can you imagine how much reading our children can do on the web? What if your child could “publish” on the web, send the link to their parents, cousins or grandparents who can see their work on the internet? How excited and motivated would they be to write? What about their classmates that blog? Would children be interested in reading blogs of their friends? They read their profiles on MySpace of FaceBook don’t they? If this type of reading and writing were expanded, would they increase the amount of material they read? Would they not become critical readers? If a peer published something with erroneous information or misspelling, would they not comment? Would they then question where that peer’s blog is a credible source of information? What if this form of reading and writing was shared with students from another country? Not only are students becoming more literate, they are becoming global learners.

This blog as well as a blog I have cross-blogged this post with Leaderstalk.org. Leadertalk is a blog of educators that share their experiences and resources to help leaders across the country learn from each other. In some ways, this blog is functioning as an on-line Professional Learning Community. I have so much to learn, but not enough hours in the day. After critically determining which blogs provide the information I need and want, I bookmark these blogs and view them several times per week. If this isn’t powerful, I don’t know what is.

I will continue to blog as a means of “spreading the word”. It has been cited by many authors that we are preparing our students for jobs not yet invented. The questions we all need to be asking ourselves include:
• Do we want our children to function in a global society?
• Should “learning” include a global perspective?
• Do we want our children to collaborate with other students around the world?
• As professionals, aren’t we to be models for our administrators, teachers and students?
• Can we not all learn something from someone else?

If you answer yes to all these questions, spend some time on the read/write web. Follow some of the links on this blog and see what is out there. As an instructional leader I will continue to support the use of the read/write web, on-line collaboration for administrators, teachers and students. I will continue to support changes in how students are taught and learn so that they can develop the skills needed in the 21st Century.

Are You Paying Attention?

This year we are meshing three initiatives in our high school. Bill Daggett's Model Schools, Thoughtful Education principles of Strong and Silver and the integration of Web 2.0 technologies. While I was shown this video a few months ago, I had forgotten about it until one of our Elementary Principals sent it to me. If this doesn't illustrate all the things we are talking about this teachers and how we should be changing the way students learn, I don't know what does.
Please take a few moments.....It's worth it!

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Is it really almost October?

It is incredible to me that we have almost finished the first month of school. The problem with blogging is that one should really stay current. So much has happened over the past few weeks, I just haven't had a moment to write. After being so pumped by yet another inspiring conference of High School's New Face, ideas and conversations began to flow and planning for the year took over my thoughts. As with any change, I do believe that it all begins with relationships. They need to be developed and fostered. In a good relationship, there is so much to be gained. Relationships that are less than positive tend to stall progress.
As I looked to begin the school year, I spend many hours thinking about and planning an opening day speech. A privilege Superintendents get to do each year. I spend weeks lamenting over what the topic should be, how to touch my audience and inspire folks to be excited about another year. Typically I make a connection to our district's mission, goals and initiatives. This year was different. It is the beginning of my fifth year at Iroquois. I have shared my personal vision, read stories to make a few shed a tear, shared poetry and yes, our direction for the coming year. This year, I was stuck. I kept coming back to the common factor of relationships. I was also concerned that for a time during our opening day rituals, I have a varied audience. Teachers, custodians, grounds crew, bus drivers and mechanic. Technology specialists, teacher aides and assistants. All the great people that make our school the great place it is. What could I say that would touch them all. That something was so simple yet we never do it enough. That something was to show gratitude. A recognition that it does "take the whole village" and that each of us in the room take a part in educating our students and molding our future leaders of the world. My opening "speech" was to have each group of people stand, hear the contribution they make in the education of our children and have the rest our staff applaud them. The feedback and appreciation has been incredible. It has done more to inspire, make people feel needed and that they make a difference than any other words even my best speech could communicate. If there is a theme, it is "gratitude". With so many changes that are happening in education and the many changes I hope to see this year, the whole experience can be enriched by a simple "thank you". For sharing an idea, for listening after a particularly stressful day, for getting that jammed paper out of the printer....Thank you! With that as a foundation, there is nothing we can't do. My thanks come from having the opportunity to work in a school district that has enormous support from faculty, parents, community members and our board of education. I never take it for granted.
As opening day passed, students arrived. They experienced change immediately. Teachers were excited at the prospect of another year. Technology was improving by leaps and bound. Our campus is on the way to being wireless. Over 360 laptops on mobile carts with printers and a projector arrived over the summer. The issue of "access" is slowly becoming a non-issue. We have a teacher on special assignment that is respected and knowledgeable ready to help our teachers integrate technology with some of the best instructional practices. We are going to have an on-line platform where all teachers can share and gain information about of instructional initiatives. Thank you Pat Aroune! Professional development will focus on the work of Silver and Strong (Thoughtful Education), the integration of technology and literacy. We hope to look at learning styles and how that influences instructional practices. We'll look to see how we can personalize the educational experience of our students and make school more meaningful for each and every student. The Thoughtful Education components will help us engage our learners and teach them critical skills necessary for learning.
In order for all these initiatives to be implemented, teachers need time. Time to learn and time to plan. Tomorrow is the first of our early release days for just that purpose. As I look at the agenda for the afternoon, it is amazing how much is going on. We have a new web provider and each teacher has the ability to create their own web pages. They need to be trained in web design and posting to those pages. We have conversations that will take place at the intermediate level about literature and spelling . Our primary teachers will be looking at our elementary science curriculum that was revised this summer as well as a new spelling approach to enhance our literacy initiative. Our high school teachers will focus on the Thoughtful Education initiative. Each teacher will come having taken their own learning style inventory. This will be used as a springboard to how their style influences their teaching. Lastly, our counselors and related service providers will begin training in Life Space Intervention: techniques to better address students with behavioral difficulties. I cannot think of a more productive way to spend an afternoon.
We have certainly "hit the ground running" and I am proud to be a part of all the changes.

Thank You Kim Moritz ! Meme on 8 Random Facts

First, the Rules:

1. Post these rules before you give your facts
2. List 8 random facts about yourself
3. At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names, linking to them
4. Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Here are my eight random facts:
1. Grew up in Yonkers, New York. Yes, the city boy went country. Came to Geneseo for college and never left.
2. I have a daughter younger than one of my grandchildren (getting remarried 6 years ago helped that).
3. I freak at the thought of mice in my house. I refuse to set a trap and if one has to be disposed of, my wife gets the honor. I am also afraid of heights.
4. Traveled first to Romania, then Chile until I was successful in adopting my son. Romania was an unforgettable experience, blackmailed 5 times for baby (never!) and saw things that changed me to the core.
5. Prince of Tides is one of my favorite movies and I'm not ashamed to say, it makes me cry.
6. I'm a "closet" pianist. Terrified of playing in public but love to play. My piano teacher was Steve Tyler's father from Aerosmith.
7. I'm still best friends with the first friend I met in Kindergarten.
8. I know the risks but I worship the sun. I feel so much better when I have a tan.

Now you know a little more than I would normally share.
I now tag the following people;
Pat Aroune
Scott McLeod
David Warlick
Rick
Steve Hargadon
Mike Temple
Mike Guhlin
Jeff Utecht

Federal Appeals Court Holds Email Content Is Constitutionally Protected

LAW: CASE: DECISIONS:
Policy Post 13.10: Federal Appeals Court Holds Email Content Is
Constitutionally Protected

Subject: Policy Post 13.10: Federal Appeals Court Holds Email Content Is
Constitutionally Protected

A Briefing On Public Policy Issues Affecting Civil Liberties Online
from The Center For Democracy and Technology

(1) Federal Appeals Court Holds Email Content Is Constitutionally
Protected

(2) IP Addresses, E-mail "To" and "From" Data Not Protected
- Court Ruling

_______________________________________________________

In the past month, two federal appeals courts have grappled with the
Constitutional status of Internet communications. Their rulings have
substantial implications for privacy, and raise anew concerns that
existing law may not be sufficient to protect Americans' privacy in
the digital age.

In an important case, the federal appeals court for
the Sixth Circuit (covering Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee)
ruled on June 18 that email users generally enjoy a
constitutionally-protected right of privacy in the content of their
email as it sits in storage with a service provider. The court also
declared unconstitutional a provision of the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act that allows government investigators to
use a subpoena or court order issued on less than probable cause to
obtain older email without notice to the person whose email is being
disclosed.

The rule established by the court is simple: in order to obtain email
from a service provider, either a) the government must obtain a
search warrant issued under the relatively high standard of probable
cause set forth in the Fourth Amendment, or b) if the government
wants to use a mere subpoena or a court order issued on less than
probable cause, it must provide notice to the person whose
communications are being sought, giving that person an opportunity to
object.

For Internet users, the ruling is a small but significant victory for
privacy. The Justice Department has argued that email, while
protected in transit, loses the full protection of the Constitution
after it reaches a user's "inbox" on the computer of a service
provider. The 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act set up a
complicated set of rules according different protection to email
depending on how and for how long it is stored. The Sixth Circuit
cuts through all of that, bringing email under a single,
Constitutionally based rule.

The ruling will likely channel more law enforcement efforts to obtain
the contents of older, stored email into the warrant arena -- with
its higher probable cause standard -- especially when government
investigators do not want to give notice to the target of their
investigation. As a result, sensitive email content information will
likely be accessed later in an investigation, when there is
sufficiently strong suspicion to establish probable cause.
Therefore, the decision may make it less likely that law enforcement
will access the email of innocent persons.

> From a corporate perspective, the ruling brings some needed

simplicity to the rules governing disclosure of stored email. The
ruling should be welcome to email providers for another reason: as
Internet users remain acutely sensitive to privacy, this case gives
them some measure of confidence, marking out one area where online
communications enjoy constitutional protection. While the U.S.
Justice Department is likely to seek to overturn the decision, the
case actually should not have a major impact on law enforcement
practices, since under ECPA law enforcement agencies already have to
obtain a warrant to get current email.

The premise of the court's constitutional ruling -- that email users
reasonably expect that an email is a private communication between
sender and recipient -- is obviously true, as reflected in the
widespread reliance on email for sensitive communications in
commerce, government and personal relations. Perhaps the only thing
remarkable about the case is that the regular federal courts had
never addressed the constitutional issues it raised.

The Justice Department is likely to seek to have the ruling
overturned by a larger panel of the Sixth Circuit and, in any case,
the Department will not consider itself bound by the ruling outside
the Sixth Circuit.

Day 2 and 3 of High Schools New Face

O.K., I'll admit it. I'm getting old! Day 2 was so full of information and the evenings went into the wee hours of the morn. I was exhausted! My head was also swimming with so many ideas heard throughout the day, I was concentrating more on how I could bring these ideas to Iroquois that blogging took a back seat. Day 2 was as information (and overwhelming) as Day 1 with Sheryl. The volume of new information and tools was incredible. Several people that attended last year's conference were concerned that they might not be exposed to too many new ideas....Wrong!! Sheryl had the unique ability to continue to stretch those that attended last year and may have been more experienced with Web 2.0 tools. Most interesting for me were the on-line tools available to develop and sustain a learning community as well as the on-line collaboration tools. I have had some experience with these tools but never used them to their full capacity.
At lunch we were entertained with several songs performed by Iroquois' own select concert choir. Mr. Gastle as usually made sure that these gifted students were well prepared and the talent our students display is nothing short of amazing. As usual, they made me feel so proud to be serving such an outstanding district.
The evening entertainment was yet another example that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. If you have not heard "Flame", go out and but a CD. This group certainly knew how put on a performance and warm the hearts of everyone there. The band has 9 members. You may be asking what makes them so unique. Each individual is challenged in some way: physically, cognitively or both. I hope to bring these very talented people to our school. They are an inspiration for everyone who has a dream but thinks they have too many obstacles to achieve them. The members of Flame certainly prove that determination along with the right skills makes the seemingly impossible, possible.
The morning of Day 3 concluded our time with Sheryl, learning more tools and actually using them. An on-line community was formed for attendees on Tappedin and is sure to keep those interested in continuing their learning and collaboration connected. The afternoon gave us an opportunity to work with the team from our school to develop an action plan for implementation at our district. We also had the opportunity to meet as a region to discuss how the momentum and initiatives could be sustained as well as what our BOCES can do to support our efforts.
Once again, the Joint Management Team organized a phenomenal conference. The energy and excitement I heard from so many individuals gives real hope to those of us that know teaching and learning in the 21st Century will be different than that of previous generations.

Day 1 of the Connecting Cohort with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach at High Schools New Face Conference

For those of you that are new to Web 2.0, you may not have heard of Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. She is incredibly knowledgeable and writes extensively about the integration of technology and Web 2.0 tools. Sheryl is professor at William and Mary College. Sheryl is committed to 21st Century learners and how to help educators move to 21st Century “teaching”. I discovered her blog and instantly we were connected. The fact that I was a superintendent interesting and using Web 2.0 in my daily work as well as attempting to have our high school teachers integrate the tools she included me as a “virtual mentor” for a pre-service course she teaches to college students on the way to becoming teachers. I was able to engage with her students, be a resource for ideas and issues they experienced as they were student teaching. We’ve had many interactions since then although we met face-to-face for the first time yesterday. Sheryl invited me to call in using SKYPE about my use of Web 2.0 at a conference she presented at in New Zealand this spring. It is incredible the contacts you make in the virtual world. Just by looking at the map on my blogroll (http:changinghighschools.blogspot.com), you can see how many people from every corner of the world have visited by blog. Often these people will comment on my blog, call me by SKYPE or e-mailed me to set up a time for an interview that would be recorded into the podcast.

Each participant was given an iPod Shuffle for the conference. This was a donation from Apple. The Shuffle can also be used as a 1 gig hard-drive. You need to have iTunes loaded on the computer you will use your Shuffle. Shuffles don’t like to use more than one computer. iTunes on a school computer is “safe”. iTunes has parental controls that can be set to make sure students don’t get exposed to the “radio” or other locations undesirable for students.

Adam Frey is a great resource. 100,000 free wikispaces are available for wikis without any advertising on it.

Sheryl has set up a wiki for the conference.
http://21stcenturylearning.wikispaces.com/

If you go to "Resources" you can find a link for wikispaces and many other tools.

Sheryl spoke about our changing world and how we are going to prepare student. Some key bytes:

Knowledge is divergent, not linear

Have you used the new WWW? The new WWW: Whatever, Wherever, Whenever.

iPod + podcasting= Anytime Learning

What about kids using iPods in School?

What about using cell phones?

“This is not business as usual, it’s business as unusual!”

What do you need to know when most of recorded knowledge is a mouse click away?

How do we prepare students for the jobs that don’t exist yet...using technologies that have not been invented yet…?

What does it due to the body of knowledge when everyone is a producer and knowledge isn’t static anymore?

How do we balance safety and access in order to allow the use of Web 2.0 technology.

Are you ready for the 21st Century? IT’S HERE!! We’re 7 years into it!

Web 3.0 is here. Take Web 2.0 and the technical aspects and learn from an Avatar such as in Second Life.

It is estimated that 1.5 exabytes of unique information will be generated this year.

What is 21st Century Learning? (It is so much more than technology)Some say;
The ability to establish ambiguity
Being your own reference librarian
Being able to network with people that have the resources you need


4 Areas that include 21st Century Learning
Digital Age Literacy
Inventive Thinking
Effective Communication
High Productivity

We need to give students a skill set so they are marketable and not competing with jobs that are outsourced?

There are 4 other Iroquois folks here at the conference attending other cohorts. Pat Aroune is here in the connecting cohort. Mr. Kenney, Mr. Esslinger and Mr. Lysiak are also here. I'm anxious to hear what they have learned in their first session.

First Evening at High School's New Face Conference

Talk about changes in the 21st century.......

This evening was an opportunity for planners and presenters for this year's High Schools New Face Conference to get together for dinner and socializing before the conference begins tomorrow. After dinner there was a campfire for folks to get together and chat. As we are fortunate to have someone as talented as Monte Shelby here, Monte brings his guitar to play and sing a little around the campfire. A little girl asks her dad about a far away country. How does Dad answer her question? Retrieve every bit of information he can remember? Tell her they'll go to the library next week and get a book out about the country?

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...



How many of us had our Dad bring us out to a picnic bench with his laptop and showed us anything in front of a campfire?
This is just one example of how kids learn in the 21st Century and why we need to change how students are educated. This will be an exciting three days!